The Leaving
by nocturnaldelights
Summary: At the end of 3X05 Klaus failed to kidnap Elena because he was running from Mikael, but in this story, he doesn't fail. Elena is forced to live with Klaus and help him succeed in raising his army of hybrids. But the more time she spends with him, she starts to see the chinks in his armor, and begins to realize that he isn't the merciless thousand-year-old hybrid he pretends to be.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note****: This is my first FanFiction story ever and I am so excited to be sharing it with you all! Don't hesitate to review and give me some constructive criticism. I'm hoping that by sharing my writing I can become a better writer.**

**Synopsis****: Okay, so basically this story takes place at the end of/after episode 3X05 "The Reckoning" when Klaus tries to kidnap Elena and take her with him but runs away instead because he's scared of Mikael. Only in this story, he actually succeeds in taking Elena with him. I have literally been planning this story since season 3 and I'm still kind of iffy of my plan, but we'll see.**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own The Vampire Diaries, sadly.**

**Okay! On to the story!**

* * *

A deep fogginess clouded my head. I tried to push through it and fight past it, but it kept pulling me under. I was acutely aware of a throbbing pain in my neck. Finally, when I had the strength, I fluttered my eyes open.

I saw a small nurse walking towards me. "Where am I?" I managed to croak out.

"In the hospital, sweetie," The nurse responded. "You suffered through a terrible ordeal."

Then it all flashed back to me, and I remembered. In the school, Stefan turned his humanity off and let the monster take over. Klaus compelled him to turn his emotions off. I remembered watching him trying to fight it, and he tried so hard, but Klaus' compulsion was stronger. I remembered seeing the evil glint in his eyes as Klaus stepped away from him. I saw how his face completely transformed as his eyes became bloodshot and his teeth lengthened to a sharp point. He even smiled a little, like he enjoyed watching my fear, like it satisfied him that I was afraid. I remembered Klaus telling him to drink my blood. I remembered him approaching me without hesitation. I remembered the moment when he closed the distance between us and latched onto my neck and how loud I screamed. I remembered the look in his eyes before he did so. It was empty, dead. There was no trace of the old Stefan, my Stefan. He was gone.

I remembered feeling the life draining from me as he sucked the blood from my veins, much like when Klaus sacrificed me, and I never wanted to know that feeling ever again. Stefan fed from me and he didn't stop, but I guessed eventually he did because I was still alive.

"I have to get out of here," I tried to get up, but the nurse held me down.

"Ah, not an option, you've lost a lot of blood." The nurse gestured to my arm, where a clear plastic tube filled with red liquid ran through into a nearly-full blood bag; _my_ blood_._

Horrified, I made the terrible realization. "Wait, you're taking my blood?" I must have been dreaming. This scenario was way too crazy for it to be real. This nurse was supposed to be helping me, not draining me of my blood.

"Of course, it's very important for your friend Klaus," she said in a monotone voice. I gaped at the nurse in shock. I recognized the blank, brain-washed look on her face, the look that victims of compulsion always have. I helplessly watched as she quickly injected something into the IV. I tried to push her away, but my movements were too slow, too weak. "Don't fight, sweetie. He told me you need plenty of rest," I heard the nurse say before the fogginess engulfed my mind once again.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly. I was in a car. I sighed in relief. Damon must've gone to the hospital and saved me and now he was taking me home. I looked out the window and just stared outside for a few seconds, but then after a few moments, I had a sudden horrifying sense of foreboding come over me. This wasn't Damon's car. Damon's car didn't look like this. Damon didn't come save me. I knew for certain because I then heard a smug voice with a silky British accent coming from the driver's seat. The voice gave me goosebumps.

"Glad to see that you're finally awake, love. You've been out for a while. I was beginning to worry." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I was too afraid to turn around, knowing what was going to be there, but eventually I did. Klaus was sitting comfortably in the driver's seat staring straight ahead at the road while wearing a sadistic smile on his face.

"What do you want from me?" My words came out a bit weaker than I had wanted them to. I sounded scared and confused, which I was.

"Well, as it turns out, you have a much better use for me than just dying." He smiled widely at me, his dimples showing deeply.

"What do you mean?" I asked even though I was sure the answer couldn't be good.

He sighed with slight annoyance. "Your blood; it's the key to making my hybrids. So that means, when I fed your blood to Tyler, he successfully turned into a half vampire, half werewolf; a hybrid. Like me." He flashed me another smirk.

My eyes immediately widened. "You're going to use my blood to make more hybrids."

"One plus one does equal two, sweetheart," he said in a mocking tone.

"You can't do this Klaus! You can't make me into your human blood bag!" I shouted hysterically. I refused to let him do this to me.

"That is exactly what I am going to do!" he said menacingly with an equally intimidating look. It was amazing how quickly he could change his tone of voice; a characteristic of a psychopath. "Now, for your sake, it would be best if you didn't make me lose my temper." He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

I scoffed. "Screw you." I had to get away from him. I had to find a way to escape. Even though Klaus was driving at about eighty miles an hour, I thought I could make it. It was a crazy idea, but it was better than being a human blood bag for the rest of my life. I had to try something.

I gripped the door handle, waiting for the right moment to jump out. Right as I was about to open the door, I heard a clicking sound and the door wouldn't budge. Klaus locked it.

"Do you have a death wish, silly little doppelganger?" He began to drive even faster.

"Dying is better than being used to create your army of stupid hybrids for the rest of my life," I spat.

"Alright, then, I'll make you a deal. If you don't try to escape, I'll let all of your little friends live. If you do try to escape, I will see to it that everyone you know gets a stake through their heart, even if they are not vampires. Their blood will be on your hands, Elena. Not mine. It's your choice." He said it so casually, it was disgusting.

I glared at him. "They'll come for me. They'll find a way to kill you. You won't win, Klaus." I tried to sound as confident as I could. I was sure they would find a way. Maybe Bonnie could do a tracking spell and locate for me, wherever I was at.

"We'll see about that," he said. "Oh, and don't you worry about your witchy little friend, Bonnie, finding you. I've already ensured that her measly attempts at tracking you are blocked." Of course. He wouldn't let something like that interfere. I sighed in desperation.

I wondered what time it was. I looked at the glowing dashboard. The small digital clock said it was 7:24 a.m. It was still dark outside, but I could see that the sun was just beginning to rise. For a few minutes, I watched as trees and various shapes blurred past me outside. My stomach suddenly growled. And it was loud.

Klaus looked over at me. "Ah, it sounds like my little human is hungry. You've got to keep your energy up if you're to help me feed my hybrids. I suppose we could stop at a fast-food restaurant on our way."

"I'm not hungry," I lied. I knew I was being stubborn, but I refused to accept anything that that monster offered me. My stomach made a rumbling noise again, louder this time.

"We're going anyway."

Within a few minutes we were at a McDonald's drive-thru and Klaus quickly ordered something from the breakfast menu. A minute later a bag of delicious smelling food and a cup of orange juice were handed to Klaus through the next window. I could smell the ham, egg, cheese and hash browns. My mouth began to water slightly, and once again, my stomach rumbled.

Klaus smiled at this with significant amusement in his eyes. "Go ahead. Have at it. You know you want to." He handed me the bag and the orange juice and I reluctantly took them. I couldn't remember the last time I ate.

I began eating the food almost ravenously without even tasting; I was too hungry. Soon enough, I was done eating and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the car's wheels hitting the pavement of the road and my breathing.

Before I could even begin to wonder what was going on in Mystic Falls, Klaus made a quick exit off the highway and suddenly it was like we are in an entirely different world. The skyline, it looked familiar, but not because I've ever seen it in person, but because it was a famous spot for movies and television shows and a world capital.

New York. We were in New York City.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! A new chapter! This chapter is a little shorter than the last one and it's more of a filler chapter. It is essential to the set up of the story. I promise the more interesting stuff is coming soon, so just be patient. Hope you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.**

* * *

"Klaus, what are we doing in New York City?" I stared at him incredulously.

He contemplated for a moment like he was trying to decide something before sighing, and he said, "We are leaving the country."

"Leaving the country? Where are you taking me?" I was suddenly very afraid of just what Klaus' plans were.

Klaus chuckled, "Now, now, I can't tell you everything. It'll ruin the surprise."

I immediately began to freak out. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Jeremy and Alaric and to my friends. How did my life change so drastically? It seemed as if one minute I was just a regular teenage girl about to start her senior year of high school, and the next, I was on my way to becoming a human blood bag for the rest of my life, however long that was going to be.

Suddenly, without warning, tears threatened to spill out of my eyes. But I wouldn't cry. I wasn't going to give Klaus the satisfaction of seeing me cry. The best thing I could do right then was to remain calm.

So I blinked a few times until my eyes were no longer watery, and I asked Klaus one more time in the steadiest voice I could manage, "Where are you taking me?"

Klaus looked at me then, "Far enough away so that you can't go running back." He said it almost grimly and there was no humor in his eyes now. This didn't help to settle my nerves at all.

* * *

We drove for about another hour getting into the city. The traffic was terrible. It was rush-hour, after all. To distract myself from the fact that I was kidnapped by Klaus, I gazed out the car window and admired the city. It was absolutely surreal. The buildings were impossibly tall, yellow cabs flashed by, pedestrians walked on the sidewalks rushing to get to work. The city was full of life. Everywhere I turned, something was always moving, someone always had somewhere to be, a goal to reach. No wonder New York was nicknamed the city that never sleeps.

I had always dreamed of coming to New York City, I just never imagined it would be like this with a thousand-year-old psychotic hybrid who's hell-bent on using me to raise his own army of supernatural freaks.

On cue, as if he knew what I was thinking about, Klaus said, "Take it all in, sweetheart, we will only be here for a short while."

He was right because after about twenty minutes, we drove into the JFK airport.

A few minutes later we drove up to a medium-sized looking airplane. Klaus cut the car engine and got out of the car. He walked over to my side and opened the passenger door.

"Come on, love, we're here."

I got out of the car and stared up at the sleek plane in amazement. I put two and two together and turned to Klaus. "You have your own private jet?" I said it with much more surprise than I should have. Of course he had his own private jet. He's a thousand-year-old original vampire. Why wouldn't he have his own jet after having hundreds of years to build his wealth?

He smirked at my comment, making his dimples show. "I have several, actually, scattered around the world, ready to use at my disposal should the need ever arise. It's much more convenient, since there are no check-out lines and no restrictions on what I can take with me." He said the last part with a wink.

I looked up at the looming airplane, suddenly terrified of it. Terrified of the fact that I'm being forced to leave my old life behind. I knew then that once I stepped onto that plane that there was no looking back.

Sensing my hesitance, Klaus turned to me and said, "Now, now, we already discussed this, love. You are coming with me and there is nothing you can do about it, not unless you want your loved ones to suffer." There was a threatening tone in his voice.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I cared about my friends and family more than anything, and I was not about to put them at risk because I was pretty sure Klaus meant what he said about killing them if I tried to run away. I decided that I should just play it safe and go along with Klaus' plans for now. I didn't really have much of a choice.

Klaus gestured to the plane. "Shall we?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. I boarded the plane without looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow it's been awhile hasn't it? I totally did not want to be one of those authors that only posts months at a time, but life just got a lil bit lifey, ya feel? But worry not, I have not given up on this story yet. I'll try to update more often but I can't make any promises. So without further ado here's another wonderful chapter by yours truly. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think! XOXO**

* * *

The interior of the plane was surprisingly roomier than I thought. It was equipped with cream-colored leather sofas and soft plush beige carpet and some type of low coffee table thing with a light wood finish in the center. Further down the plane, I could see through a doorway that there was some sort of dining area with a table in the same light wood finish as the coffee table. Everything looked extravagant and classy, yet also simple and somehow…cozy. If I were in a less unfortunate circumstance, I might have appreciated the fact that I was flying in a fancy private jet more.

"Elena, dear, why don't you go and take a seat? I have some business I need to attend to." And with that, Klaus disappeared into the cockpit to talk to the pilot I guessed, leaving me standing in the middle of the plane with a compelled-looking flight attendant. I sighed and went to sit down in one of the many available seats, and just as I thought, these seats were made to be sat in. I practically melted into it.

I closed my eyes and imagined all the places I would rather be besides here, which was practically anywhere. Right now, at this very moment, I would be at school, probably in class sitting next to Bonnie or Caroline listening to some teacher drone on about their syllabus and expectations for the school year and we wouldn't care because it was our senior year and we've heard the same speech a thousand times before. I wonder if they've even realized I was missing and if they're looking for me. I didn't even get to say goodbye. What if I never saw them again? Who's going to take care of Jeremy? A hundred questions flashed through my mind at once all revolving around the people I was forced to leave behind.

The flight attendant came up to me and offered me a tissue. I brought a finger to my cheek and felt the dampness on it. I hadn't even realized I was crying. I took the tissue and offered her a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you," I said.

"Just let me know if you need anything," she responded with a warm smile.

I wiped all of my tears until my face was completely dry and mentally scolded myself. Instead of having a pity party and feeling sorry for myself I should be trying to figure how I was going to get myself out of this mess because there was no way I was going to let Klaus use my blood to raise his own army of powerful hybrids. I shouldn't be depending on someone else to come and save me; I had to save myself. But the question was, how?

At that moment Klaus stepped out of the cockpit looking straight at me with that stupid smirk on his face. I glared back at him trying to communicate how much I hated him through my eyes.

"Now, don't fret little doppelganger. They should be arriving any moment now, and then we can depart for our final destination."

My angry look faltered. "They? Who's they?" I asked in confusion. Who else could possibly be coming?

"You'll see," is all he said.

Just then the entrance to the airplane opened. "Hello, brother." A tall and beautiful blonde young woman stepped onto the plane.

"Elena, you remember my lovely sister, Rebekah, don't you?" Klaus asked.

My mind flashed back to when she accused me of having her necklace and attacking me. "I remember that she attacked me," I said with a bitter tone. Rebekah sneered at me.

"Well, there will be no more of that from now on. I expect you two to play nice. Especially you, Rebekah," Klaus said. He turned to Rebekah in all seriousness, "Did you get everything?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, everything is all set, Nik. Don't you trust me, brother?" she asked teasingly.

Someone else started to board the plane. That someone else was the last person I ever expected to be here.

"Tyler? What are you doing here?" I questioned loudly, confusion clearly in my voice. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

Tyler looked up immediately, his dark eyes finding my face. The others looked at me as well. Tyler walked towards me.

"Oh, uh, hey Elena," He said it as if we were just bumping into each other in the mall or the grocery store or something. "How are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" I asked disbelievingly with a slight shrill to my voice. "Tyler, do you have any idea what is going on right now? I've been kidnapped by Klaus! Tyler, you have to help me, please." I whispered the last part, but of course Klaus was still able to hear me.

Klaus chuckled beside me, "He can't. He's sired." I reluctantly turned to look at Klaus. There was amusement in his stone-cold, gray eyes. He was obviously enjoying my distress. "You see, a benefit of being able to sire my own species is that they feel grateful towards me because I released them from the horrible curse of the lycanthrope. They no longer have to undergo the painful process of changing into a wolf every full moon if they do not want to, so they are therefore loyal to me and will obey my every command no matter what." I turned back to Tyler for confirmation, but I already knew what he was telling me was true.

Tyler looked at me guiltily and said, "I'm sorry Elena."

"What about Caroline and your mom?" I asked.

Tyler shrugged. "I broke it off with Caroline, she's better off without me, and my mom can take care of herself."

I stared at him in disbelief and scoffed, "Is that what Klaus told you?" Great, so the only person I could have slightly trusted on this plane was being brainwashed by Klaus, which meant that I couldn't trust him at all.

"I don't know what to tell you, Elena." Tyler had an apologetic look in his eyes, but it was probably nothing compared to the look of betrayal I probably had in mine.

A voice came on the PA, "All passengers on board prepare for takeoff. The plane will be departing very shortly."

Klaus patted Tyler on the back and nodded toward the dining room where Rebekah had disappeared off to, "Come on, mate, let's get you something to eat. You must be famished. Elena, you're welcome to join us if you want."

"No, thanks." I knew what he had in mind for eating wasn't what I had in mind.

"Suit yourself." They walked into the dining room shutting the door behind them, leaving me all alone without even a flight attendant to keep me company. It wasn't until I was by myself that I realized how tired I was; mentally, emotionally, and physically. I saw that the flight attendant left behind a folded blanket and pillow beside me on the sofa. I tucked the pillow underneath my head and wrapped the fuzzy blanket tight around me and curled into the tiniest ball possible. I closed my eyes and wished desperately that all of this was just a very, very bad dream and that when I woke up I would safe and sound in my bed back in Mystic Falls.

If only.


	4. Chapter 4

_Meanwhile in Mystic Falls_

Damon woke up lying in the hospital parking lot. The sun was just beginning to rise. Why was he in the hospital parking lot? He thought while rubbing his neck. It felt like he slept on it wrong. Or like someone broke it… someone like Klaus. The night before suddenly came flooding back to him. _Shit! Elena!_

Damon sped as fast as he could into the hospital. He used his vampire senses to try to look for her, to try to find any trace of her scent. He checked every room in the hospital like a madman, denying the possibility that she wasn't there. He finally came upon one hospital room that smelled faintly of her, but the scent was hours old.

"No, no, no, no, no… NO!" Damon finally came upon the horrible realization; Elena was gone. Klaus took her.

He was on the verge of breaking down, but he quickly stopped himself. He had to keep it together, otherwise how was he going to find Elena without a clear head? He quickly did the first thing he could think of, which was to call for an emergency meeting. He called Bonnie, Alaric, Caroline, Jeremy, and even Matt, anyone who could help with finding Elena. He told them to go straight to the boarding house, no questions asked. Damon didn't bother calling Stefan. He didn't trust him one bit, and if he had anything to do with Elena's disappearance, he was going to kill him.

* * *

When he got there, he was greeted at the door by Alaric, who donned a concerned expression on his face, "What's going on?" Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt were already there in the sitting area, watching Damon with confused looks probably wondering the same thing.

Damon went to pour himself a glass of bourbon; he needed something to help him think. No one questioned him about Stefan; they all knew he couldn't be trusted since Klaus compelled him to turn off his humanity last night. Also, who knew what else he compelled him to do?

Just then Caroline burst through the door with tears streaming down her face and a piece of paper in her hands, "It's Tyler! He's gone!" When Caroline woke up to Damon's frantic phone call that morning, she found a note from Tyler resting on her night stand. She shoved the note into Damon's hands so he could read it. It read: _Caroline, Don't come looking for me. I'm sorry, _in quickly scrawled handwriting.

"Well, welcome to the club, Blondie. Elena's gone, too. Klaus took her." Damon dropped the bomb.

Everyone in the room simultaneously said, "What?" Those who were sitting stood up and those who were standing took a step towards Damon.

"What do you mean she's gone?" asked Jeremy in a loud voice.

"I_ mean_ she's gone, as in nowhere to be found, as in a thousand-year-old psychopath kidnapped her!" Damon responded rather harshly.

"How could you let this happen, Damon?" Bonnie turned her judgmental green eyes on Damon.

"Well, I'm sorry if I wasn't able to keep an all-powerful vampire hybrid freak from breaking my neck, Bonnie!" Damon's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"All right, all right, let's all settle down here. If we're going to work together to find Elena, then we need to stop bickering," Ric said looking pointedly at Damon.

Damon let out a deep breath. "Fine. First things first, Bonnie you have to try a locater spell like you did when Elena was kidnapped by Rose. Can you do that?"

Bonnie nodded, "I can try, but ever since I brought Jeremy back to life, my magic has been weaker. Even doing simple spells like that one can drain my energy dramatically, but I would do anything for Elena."

"Good. What do you need?" Damon asked.

"A few candles, some of Jeremy's blood, and a map," she responded.

* * *

Several minutes later, they were all gathered around the dining table (it wasn't like they used it for anything anyway), with a few candles lit, and a map of all seven continents in front of Bonnie. They thought that using a larger scale map would be better to use because who knew how far Klaus could've taken Elena by now. They could be halfway across the world for all Damon knew.

Bonnie grabbed Jeremy's hand and made a shallow slice across his palm with a small knife to draw some his blood, just like when she did the same spell months ago. Jeremy held it over the map so the blood drops would fall where Mystic Falls approximately was. He took his hand away and wrapped it with a towel to stop the bleeding. Then Bonnie closed her eyes and began chanting the spell that would help them locate Elena. "Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras, Sequita Saguines, Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous," she said over and over again.

They all anxiously watched for anything to happen, and at first nothing did, but then after a few moments the drops of blood began to move. They made a thin trail of blood from where Mystic Falls was up across the east coast, until, after a few seconds, it suddenly stopped.

"Wait, something's wrong," Bonnie said, looking up at everyone with puzzled eyes. "It shouldn't have stopped already. I can sense that that's not where Elena is still. Let me try again." She closed her eyes again, and chanted louder that time. The line wouldn't budge, but she kept trying anyway.

"Hey, um, Bon, are you okay?" Matt asked tentatively. A trickle of blood had begun to drip from Bonnie's nostril. She stopped chanting and touched her nose, and saw that there was indeed blood.

Bonnie looked at Damon with a wavering expression, "The spell is no use. Someone is blocking Elena's location with a cloaking spell."

Damon snickered, "Of course Klaus has a witch working for him."

"What I can tell you is that this is the location Elena was last before the cloaking spell was put on her." Bonnie delicately pointed to where the line of blood ended on the map; New York, New York. Why would Klaus take her to New York City?

Bonnie suddenly collapsed.

"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed.

Fortunately, Jeremy was able to catch her in his arms before she hit the floor. She had used too much of her energy. Jeremy carried her to a couch in the living room and laid her down. Everyone looked on with concerned expressions.

"We can't ask her to do any more spells, Damon. Sometimes she doesn't know when to stop," Jeremy said.

"I know," Damon said in a somber tone. He sighed in frustration. "There must be something we can try!" A million thoughts were running through his mind at once.

Caroline stepped towards Damon. The others promptly listened as she spoke, "I was there when Klaus found out that Elena was the key to creating his hybrids. He fed Tyler her blood and then he collapsed on the floor and when he looked up, his face… It was like a combination of werewolf eyes and the bloodshot eyes and veins vampires get, and he had two sets of fangs, not just one like normal vampires do. I guess one set is werewolf and the other is vampire. Like a true hybrid." As she thought more about it, a realization dawned on her and she looked at Damon in all seriousness. "Could Tyler being Klaus' first successful hybrid have anything to do with why he left? Could he have gone with Klaus? But why would he do that? He does know that Klaus is the bad guy, right?" Caroline stared at Damon with wide-eyed confusion mixed in with horror.

Damon thought deeply about it, still sipping on his bourbon, and then the answer hit him. "Oh no. I think I know why. He's been sired."

"Wait, hold on, what?" Caroline said even more confused than before.

"Sired. Since Klaus' blood created him, he feels loyal to him."

"How loyal?" asked Matt.

"He'll seek acceptance from his master, meaning he'll do whatever it takes to please him."

"So you're saying that Tyler is now some freaky, hybrid, slave minion of Klaus'?" Caroline asked with horror.

Damon nodded in reply. "It's supposed to be rare, but maybe not so much in hybrids."

Alaric spoke up, "If this is true, then we need to find Elena before he uses her to create more hybrids."

Damon agreed. Just imagining an army of half-vampire, half-werewolf hybrids running around under the command of Klaus made him shiver. "You're right, Ric, but how? Bonnie can't do much magic to help us find them, and even if she could, Klaus has witches working for him to retaliate. We're kind of out of options."

Jeremy got up from where he was tending to the still passed out Bonnie. He had cleaned up her bloody nose and put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. "What about Mikael?"

At that moment, Stefan casually strolled into the Salvatore boarding house. Everyone watched him with untrusting eyes as he went to pour himself a drink. "Oh, hey, guys. Who forgot to invite me to the family reunion?" He noticed the severe stillness in the room. "Oh no, don't mind me. Please, carry on." He motioned with his hand to encourage everyone to keep speaking. No one did.

It was very obvious that Stefan no longer had his humanity intact.


	5. Chapter 5

"What are you doing here, brother?" Damon asked warily.

Stefan casually took a sip of his drink. "Well, the last time I checked, this is my house too, _brother_." He looked over to the sofa where Bonnie was still lying down. "I see you guys already tried a location spell and failed miserably," he said amusedly.

At that Damon grew irritated. "All right, Stefan, cut the bullshit. If you know _anything_ about where Klaus took Elena, you better tell me." The threat was very obvious in his tone.

Stefan raised both his hands as if in defense. "Sorry, Klaus didn't tell me anything, and even if he did, it's not like I would tell you." He didn't look sorry at all. "He did, however, tell me to warn you that if you do go looking for Elena, he'll personally make sure you never see her again. His words, not mine. Now, since I can see I'm not welcome here, I'll just be going." Stefan sped out of the Salvatore house slamming the front door behind him before anyone had time to blink.

"Wow. No humanity Stefan is such a douchebag," Caroline said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Alaric spoke up, "He has to be bluffing. Klaus needs Elena for her blood. He would never kill her or let her die."

"That doesn't mean that he won't have all of us killed so we never find her," Jeremy pointed out.

"A death-threat from a thousand-year-old brat isn't going to stop me from looking for Elena," said Damon. Just thinking about all the things Klaus could do with Elena gave him the chills but also a hint of rage and determination. "No. We're not going to let that bastard win and get what he wants."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Matt.

Damon gave Jeremy a look and said with grim decisiveness, "Mikael."

Little did they know that Stefan was still outside the house listening in on their plans.

He gave Klaus a call. "I have new information about Mikael."

* * *

_Klaus' POV _

Klaus had just gotten off the phone with Stefan and the conversation brought both very good news and very bad news. The good news was that Damon was bluffing at the time when he told him that Mikael was in town, which gave him much more time than he anticipated. The bad news was that now, they really have found him and they were going to use him to hunt Klaus down and kill him. Klaus has been playing the game of cat-chase-mouse for a very long time with Mikael. It was not a very fun game when he was the mouse. Still, he has been able to evade him for nearly a thousand years, so this should be no different. It was still upsetting news nonetheless. He must begin making his hybrids as soon as possible now, among other things. With an army of hybrids behind him, he would be virtually unstoppable.

He glanced through the rearview mirror at the sleeping brunette in the backseat. If anything were to happen to her… everything would be ruined. She was the key to everything. After all these years, it always led back to her. To the one whatever is left of his poor excuse of a soul refused to forget. To the only one he ever truly loved. But the girl in the backseat was not her. He had to remind himself of that. She may wear her face, but she was not her.

In a few hours' time, he will be back in a place he hasn't been in a long while. He'll be one step closer to achieving something he has wanted since he was placed under his horrid curse. As long as Mikael did not intervene everything should worked out as planned.

* * *

_Elena's POV_

I slowly began to wake up in the backseat of a moving car. The happenings of the previous twenty-four hours have been draining, mentally and physically. All I wanted to do was sleep even though it seemed like that's all I've been doing this whole time.

My neck still throbbed with pain and I was almost certain a bruise was forming on my left cheek from when Klaus hit me in the gym the night before. I also still felt very weak from the blood loss. The combination of being attacked by two vampires and then getting my blood drawn all in one night was not helping my cause. Klaus was in the front seat driving. I slowly shifted in my seat so that I was sitting up. I expected Klaus to say something to me now that I was awake, but he was too immersed in his thoughts to notice, or he at least gave no indication that he did.

It was pitch black outside. The clock on the dashboard showed that it was almost 3 a.m. It was already dark a few hours ago when the plane landed in a discreet location. The surroundings gave me no clue as to where we were located although I had a feeling we were on a completely different continent. I had the urge to ask Klaus where we were, but I didn't. I also silently wondered where Rebekah and Tyler went since it seemed like they stopped following us at some point while I was asleep.

I watched as the trees flashed by as the car traveled down an empty road at about eighty miles per hour. There were literally just trees everywhere. I felt like I was headed into a deep enchanted forest with no hope of ever getting out. The thought left me with an uneasy dread hanging over me.

The trip went on like this for about another half hour until finally the trees began to thin out little by little as the car approached a mansion that looked like it came straight out of medieval Renaissance. It was too dark to notice many details about it, but it looked like it was made completely out of stone. There was also what looked like a huge fountain in the front. There seemed to be lights on in the mansion because some of the windows were glowing with a warm light. Who else could be out here in the middle of nowhere besides an original vampire-werewolf hybrid and the teenage girl he kidnapped?

Klaus parked his fancy black sports car right in front of the giant stone staircase that lead to the entrance of the mansion.

Klaus opened the backseat car door and held out his hand for me. "Welcome to your new home, little doppelganger," Klaus said with his signature smirk on his face. I held back the deep urge to roll my eyes and reluctantly took his waiting hand.

The sensation was strange. The second I put my hand in his, a subtle shock went through my body. It was not unpleasant. It was probably because my hands felt like blocks of ice and his hand was unexpectedly very warm. He must have felt something too because his smirk seemed to falter for a fraction of a second. I pretended I didn't notice and as soon as I got out of the car I let go of his hand.

I looked up at the enormous mansion in awe just as I had the private jet. The place must have been centuries old. "Home? Where exactly is home?" I inquired out loud.

"Well, if you must know," Klaus said as he walked up the stairs, "we are at one of the many properties I own just outside of London. But this property in particular is very special. It is the same building in which I met and courted the infamous Katerina Petrova many centuries ago. I thought it would be nice to revisit the past for a while." He was already halfway up the steps. "What are you waiting for? Come along now." I didn't miss the warning in his voice.

I gazed up at the looming mansion. So this was where Katherine lived when she was human. That explained why it looked so ancient, but also at the same time like it was well-kept. It seemed almost fitting that I was there now. _History repeats itself once again_, I thought to myself bitterly. I looked around the property with only the starlight to see by and quickly scanned the trees.

"Don't get any silly ideas in that pretty little head of yours. There's nothing but kilometers of forest out here. If you try to escape, you won't get very far," he said threateningly.

I narrowed my eyes at him and began to walk up the staircase, "I won't try to run away. You already told me what you would do if I did."

"I'm just going to add one more requirement to that list. If you even think about disobeying me in any way, I will see to it that you are severely punished. Do not give me a reason to compel you." I automatically reached up to my neck only to feel bare skin and remembered that I no longer had my trusty vervain necklace to protect me from a vampire's influence. Klaus noticed this.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me close so that my face was mere centimeters away from his. I tried to break free, but of course his grip was too strong for my less-than-average human strength. I gave up after a few tugs and decided to stay as still as possible. I felt his cool breath as he spoke.

"No, we wouldn't want that, would we?" he said quietly, examining my face. After a few moments he finally let me go and I let out a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding in. "But fortunately for you I personally think it's a lot more fun when my _pets_ do things for me of their own free will. Now, come on. Your new home awaits." He gestured toward the entrance. His new threat left me shaken with an overall unsettling feeling. Who knew what he was going to make me do? I thought I was only supposed to be a blood supply for his hybrids, but apparently he also had other plans in mind. I involuntarily shivered with the thought. _It's okay, Elena. It's best to just play along for right now and figure out the rest later,_ I mentally comforted myself.

As we both made the final steps, the door opened widely to reveal a tall young man who looked to be about twenty-one years old. He had dark almost black hair, creamy beige skin and bright green eyes and high cheekbones, pink pouty lips, and thick arched eyebrows. He was undeniably handsome.

"Klaus! Come on in, it's so good to see you," the man said in a deep British accent with a wide smile and stepped to the side to let Klaus in. I followed from behind. Why anyone would be happy to see Klaus was beyond me. We locked eyes and for a moment and I was startled by how intensely green they were. "I see you've finally succeeded in finding your doppelganger and breaking your curse."

"Yes, no thanks to you," Klaus said jokingly.

"Hey, I tried, you know I did," he responded with a chuckle. He examined me more closely. "Wow, she really does look exactly like Katerina. It's uncanny." He turned to me with a slight smile. "Hello there. What's your name?"

His tone seemed friendly enough, but I still hesitated on whether or not to answer. "Um, it's Elena," I said quietly.

"It is lovely to meet you, Elena. I'm Xander. You must be so exhausted from your long trip. Please, come. I'll have one of the maids show you to your new room." He gestured to a middle-aged woman who stood to the side, waiting for orders.

"Please follow me, dear." The maid led me up a grand staircase leaving Klaus and Xander behind while they held a deep discussion in hushed tones.

As I walked away I was able to catch part of their conversation. Xander told Klaus, "Yes, as soon as you called I sent out a blocking spell and cloaked the entire property. If my skill set is as good as I think it is then anyone who you do not want to find you, will not be able to find you. I'll also put extra precautionary measures in place of course…" I took a few seconds to process that information and what it meant; Xander is the witch who's been helping Klaus. He's been playing a part in keeping me from my family and keeping me as Klaus' prisoner. I had difficulty swallowing the lump that was slowly forming in my throat.

The maid led me down a large corridor and finally stopped in front of a door and opened it for me. "Here you are, dear. There's a bathroom in there if you need to wash up, and clean clothes in the closet and drawers. Please let me know if you need anything." I thanked her. She gave me one last look full of unmasked pity before she walked away.

I walked into the room, closed the door behind me, and immediately threw myself onto the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room and shoved my face into a pillow. All of the tears I've been holding in this whole time came rushing out like a broken dam and there was nothing I could do stop it. I cried for everything that I've lost. I cried for my parents, I cried for Jenna, I even cried for John. I cried for Jeremy and Bonnie and Caroline and Matt and Alaric. I cried for the unsaid goodbyes. I cried for Stefan who struggled so much to keep his humanity intact and for the person he becomes when he can't. And last but not least, I cried for Damon who loved me too much for his own good and will probably end up getting himself killed trying to rescue me.

I cried until there weren't any more tears left to cry and drifted off into a deep but fitful sleep. I dreamt of my life before. I dreamt of my parents and Jenna. They were alive and smiling, joking around like they always used to. It all felt so real. But it wasn't.


End file.
